Safe Harbor Dam, Pennsylvania, Verenigde Staten 1936

Wouter Cool created this image of the Safe Harbor Dam, Pennsylvania, using photography. The image presents an industrial landscape, with the dam's structures cutting a stark silhouette against the sky. It makes me think about the act of observing something so monumental, and the exchange that can take place between the artist and the environment. You can see how light and shadow play across the solid surfaces, almost creating a sense of depth and texture on an otherwise flat surface. There’s a dance between what is revealed and what remains hidden, inviting us to fill in the blanks. It’s like Cool is reminding us that observation is active, and that we each bring our own perspective to what we see. I wonder what it was like for Cool to create this image. There’s a quiet intensity in this photograph, like he’s trying to capture something that’s always in flux. And I think that’s what art is all about.